Process of preparing an antioxidant from rice bran



mama by. so, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF PREPARING AN ANTIOXIDANT FROM RICE BEAN Charles I. Jarowski, Springfield, Eric '1. Stiller,

Philadelphia, and Martin B. Williamson, Lansdowne, Pa., assignors to Wyeth Incorporated,

-Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application August 24, 1946, Serial No. 692,928

6 Claims. (Cl. 252-398) This invention relates to an antioxidant derived from natural sources. It relates particularly to an antioxidant derived from rice bran. Such an antioxidant finds industrial application ln-retardins oxidative deterioration in medicinals and foods, especially of the type containing an appreciable percentage of flats or oils.

This application discloses a modification of the co-pending application, Serial No. 594,592, an

essential feature oi! the invention involves methanol extraction of rice bran concentrate.

It is to be noted that both prior applications involved essentially a treatment of rice bran concentrate obtained by aqueous or alcoholic extraction of rice bran. The use of rice bran concentrate, while highly efiective, results in a high cost product since the starting material is expensive and relatively difiicult to procure. This invention not only starts with an easily procurable and inexpensive material, but results in obtaining a more potent antioxidant at lower cost.

In order to extract antioxidant material from oil-bearing natural sources, it has been proposed to treat oil-bearing material with certain alcohols, esters, aldehydes and ketones. The extract is then treated with alkali in order to remove excess free fatty acids and the liquid fraction may then be solvent-extracted with a fat solvent to obtain antioxidant material. The source of the antioxidant in this case isapparentlyderived from the oily and fatty fractions of the starting material.

We have found, on the other hand,- a highly potent antioxidant in defatted rice bran which has the important characteristic of reacting in alkaline solution to form alkali or alkaline earth metal salts which are easily separated. From thme salts we obtain a highly purified and potent antioxidant free of inert, ballast material, and which therefore is highly effective in small quantitles as an antioxidant, particularly for foods and medicinal preparations and more particularly 2 those comprising animal and vegetable fats and oils.

In carrying out the extraction of our antioxidant from rice bran, this material is first dei'atted substantially completely by the use of a defatting solvent such as petroleum ether, chloroform, diethyl ether, ethylene dichloride, benzene or other suitable defatting solvent.

The substantially completely defatted rice bran is then extracted with an antioxidant extracting solvent such as a lower alcohol, ketone, ester or aldehyde. The alcohols include methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, n-propyl, allyl, the butyl, amyl and hexyl alcohols and in fact, any alcohol or mixture of alcohols of six carbon atoms or lower may bev used. Aliphatic ketones of six carbon atoms or lower such as acetone, ethyl methyl ketone, diethyl ketone, ethyl lsopropyl ketone or methyl vinyl ketone are likewise useful. Aldehydes and esters of six carbon atoms, as for example acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde or crotonic aldehyde as well as methyl formate, ethyl acetate, propyl acetate, or vinyl acetate can be used. The preferred solvents, however, are methanol, ethanol or isopropanol and of these, methanol has been found particularly satisfactory. It is to be understood, however, that any aliphatic alcohol, ketone, ester or aldehyde of six carbon atoms or lower, either alone or in admixture can be used with satisfactory results.

The antioxidant extracting solvent is best used at high concentrations ranging from 98% solvent or higher, with the remainder water. While lower concentrations from 50% upward may be used for the extraction, the higher water content results in also extracting together with the desired antioxidant material such undesired material as water-soluble dextrins, sugars and carbohydrate matter which must eventually be removed. Moreover, large amounts of water must be avoided sincein the following step the alkali or alkaline earth metal salts of the antioxidants obtained by alkaline reaction are somewhat soluble in water and thus cannot be fully recovered. I

The solvent extract is then distilled to remove substantially all of the solvent and the extract, containing only a small amount of solvent, is treated with an alkaline or alkaline earth material such as sodium hydroxide, sodium methoxide, ethoxide or propoxida or the corresponding potassium, lithium, barium or strontium compounds, in order to form alkali or alkaline earth metal salts of the desired antioxidant. Theaddition of alkaline material is regulated so that the solution is definitely alkaline in reaction. It has been found that' best results are obtained when the pH of solution exceeds 10. The alkali or alkaline earth metal salts are then collected, acidified and 4 170 grams was removed from which sucrose was isolated. This insoluble syrupy material was found to be entirely devoid of antioxidant acextracted with ether, chloroform or any suitable tivity. 1 water-immiscible solvent. The acidification may The ethanolic fraction was treated with sodibe carried out with any suitable mineral acid such um exthoxide until the pH reached 11. The as hydrochloric acid. sulfuric acid, phosphoric sodium salts were isolated from the liquor. The acid, etc., and suillcient acid is added until the latter was tested and showed no antioxidant acsolution definitely shows a pH in the acidrange. tion.

In order to obtain a more highly purified prod- The sodium salts were dissolved in water and not. the solvent extract obtained after the deconcentrated. Hydrochloric acid was added unfatting step may be distilled to dryness. This til the pH was reduced to 5. The mixture was extract has been found to have fair antioxidant extracted continuously with diethyl ether. The potency. The residue is now extracted with a ether extract was distilled to remove the ether small amount of a. solvent such as that used for and the residue was tested and found to be a extracting the defatted rice bran. The preferred potent antioxidant at the .2%-l.5% level as solvent here is methanol or ethanol. Again it shown by Table II.

Table II Iodine Number Antioxidant Amount V lweek 2weeks 3weelrs iweeks 1. Blank 42 2. on from sodium salt.. mg. (0 10s 11s 41 41 s. Oiliromsodiumsalh- 50m 0.4 91 120 114 11s 4. 011 from sodium salt 100 mg. 101 12s 11a 11a 5. Oil from sodium salt 180 mg. (1.5%)" 91 124 113 100 is best to use highly concentrated solvents to In testing a material for antioxidant value the avoid loss of valuable material at the later stages. following method is carried out. The solvent extract is now cooled to room tem- Two grams of purified linoleic acid (iodine perature or below, with a temperature of about number greater than 160) is triturated with 10 0 C. preferred,.in order to separate an insoluble grams of corn starch. The material to be tested fraction which has been found to comprise caris thoroughly mixed with this oil-starch mixture 'bohydrates and other inert matter. The inand circulated at 37 C. At appropriate intersoluble fraction is discarded and the solution is vals 2.5 gram aliquots are extracted with 100 then treated with the alkaline material as de- 1111. of chloroform. The chlorofrom extract is scribed above. 7 divided up into three 25 ml. portions. One is In .order to illustrate the invention in greater evaporated to dry On a Steam bath in Order detail, the following example is given although to ascertain total solids. The remaining two it is to be understood that the invention is not are treated with excess2N. Hanus solution. Aftto be considered as limited to the specific mateer one hour, the excessiodine-bromide is back rials or details disclosed therein. titrated with 2 N. sodium thiosulfate, using 10% Starting with 11 pounds of powdered rice bran; potassium iodide to make the halides water soluthe material was placed in a conical percolator ble. The iodine number is calculated. A blank and extracted with petroleum ether (B. P, 40-60 is always prepared with each experiment. The C.) in order to remove as much fat as possible. antioxidant e c y of a substance is measured This ether extract had no significant antioxidant by its ability to maintain the iodine number of action. The fatty matter removed amounted to linoleic acid for prolonged periods at 37 C.

715 grams, An advantage of the above disclosed Process is The defatted powdered rice bran was then exthat after the antioxidant is removed from the tracted with 98% methanol by percolation, The rice bran the latter can be used for obtaining methanol solution was concentrated to a syrupy vitamins therefrom or for any purpose desired. consistency by distillation in vacuo under an at- A further advantage is that the product resultmosphere of nitrogen. The distillation was con- 8 fr m the process is non-toxic and hence is tinued until substantially all of methanol had especially usefulinretardin O d lve d t riorar been removed. The syrupy residue was an eifection of foods and medicinals. tive antioxidant at a 4-5% level as shown by We claim:

Table I. 1. The process of preparing an antioxidant Table I Iodine Number Antioxidant Amount 4 1 week 2weeks 3weelrs iweelrs 1. Blank.-. 52 35 2.-Methano..Extract. 50 mg. (0.47 43 37 3. Methane. Extract mg. (0.8 43 38 4. Methane. mg. (4% 123 08 60 6! 5. -:Meth auo.. 1,004 mg. (8 119 131 121 The syrupy, methanolic extract was dissolved in one liter of absolute ethanol and cooled to 0 C. an insoluble, syrupy material amounting to from rice bran, consisting essentially of defatting the rice bran with a solvent of the group consisting of hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons, extracting the defatted material with a water-soluble, lower aliphatic solvent having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the molecule, alkalizing the extract obtained by the addition tosaidextract of an alkaline compound of the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal compounds, separating the antioxidant salts formed,

acidifying to an acid reaction, extracting the acidified liquid with a water-immiscible organic I solvent in which said antioxidant is soluble, and

alkaline compound of the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal compounds,

separating the antioxidant from the extract in the form of a metal salt of the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts; acidifying said salt, extracting the acidified mixture with a water-immiscible organic solvent in which the desired antioxidant is solubleand finally removing the solvent from the extract to obtain the desired antioxidant.

4. The process of preparing an antioxidant- 'from rice bran. consisting essentially of defatting the rice brain with a solvent of the group consist-' ing of hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocar boris, extracting the dei'atted material with a water-soluble, lower aliphatic solvent having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the molecule, adding to said extract an alkaline compound of the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal compounds, separating the antioxidant from the extract in the form of a metal salt of the group consisting of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts, isolating said salt, forming a concentrated aqueous solution of said salt, acidifying the latter to an acid reaction, extracting the acidified liquid with a water-immiscible organic solvent in which said antioxidant is soluble and removing the solvent from the extract to obtain the desired antioxidant in a substantially pure form.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the water immiscible organic solvent is diethyl ether.

6 The process of preparing an antioxidant.

from rice bran, consisting essentially of defatting rice bran with asolvent of the group consisting of V hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons, extracting the defatted material with a watersoluble lower aliphatic solvent having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the molecule, adding sodium ethoxide to said extract, separating the sodium salt of i said antioxidant from the extract, forming a concentrated solution of said salt, acidifying said solution to an acid reaction, extracting the acidifled solution with diethyl ether andnnally removing the dlethyl ether from the extract to obtain the desired antioxidant.

C. I. JAROWSKL mic T. STILLER. MARTIN B.

REFERENCES ,CETED The following-references are .of record the file of thispatent;

, UNITED STATES rams Number Name Date 2,098,254 Mattill et a1. Nov. 9, 1937 2,176,034 Musher Oct. 10, 1939 2.176,038 Musher Oct. 10, 1939 2,181,765 Musher Nov. 28, 1939 2,188,319 Siemers Jan. 30, 1940 2,345,578, Buxton L Apr. 4, 1944 Patterson et a1. July 31, 1945 

